Honouring

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 4, 2019 in children, collaborating, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 3, 2019, Paulden, AZ-

Whilst many of my fellow humans were watching what started out as a Stupour Bowl, I chose a different route for a fine Sunday afternoon: Revisiting friends at Dharma Farm, an unassuming, but loving little settlement, on the west side of this unincorporated community in northern Yavapai County.

The family’s older child decided I was a fun companion, so we built, and dismantled, several mud villages. This child is a true Shiva, great at building and destroying items of wood and mud, alike. When the digging got old, and child decided it was “cold”, we went inside and she regaled the lot of us with a very expressive series of dances, in her best party dress. Then it was time for me to make a blanket fort, which she occupied very happily, for forty-five minutes. Finally, I became a blanket-covered creature, called Swaug-as the only sound it makes is a low, guttural “Swaug!” This went on for another hour or so.

Such is the world of a bright, imaginative three-year-old. The family lives, and the children are being raised on, a system of honouring: Honour each other’s space; each other’s work; each other’s presence; each other’s dignity and worth. If time were taken, by anyone, to practice this code, how much higher would the state of peace be?

Life at Dharma is not letter perfect- The above-mentioned child has her life lessons to learn and there were fatigue-caused meltdowns, from both children. The honour system will help address these concerns, as will the violence-free regimen of their parents. The couple’s commitment to Permaculture, a work in progress, will also contribute greatly to the little farm’s thriving.

A review of an astrological concept: The north node, its notion of “past lives” aside, did explain to me the basis for some difficulties and conflicts I’ve had in my actual past. It is, in many ways, a spot-on psychological analysis. It basically notes, in a largely accurate manner, that the Infinite, as the author refers to the Universe, will unfold life as it is intended to unfold, and that how one reacts to both challenges and triumphs alike, determines the degree of one’s happiness and feeling of satisfaction, or the lack thereof. This gave rise to a discussion of just what the nature of successive lives might be. I do not believe in continuous rebirths as human beings, and it turns out, neither do my friends. We concur that there are different beings, or levels of being, which follow this one.

It was an interesting day, capped by roasted vegetables and a green/beet salad. I learned, soon enough, that the Super Bowl was a low-key affair, with a predictable ending. On our lives go, as, for the most part, intended.

Those Shadows Seen and Not Seen

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 3, 2019 in Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 2, 2019, Phoenix-

So the critters back East, in Punxsutawney and Staten Island, have assured us that it’ll be an early Spring. No shadows were in view, and after that region went through yet another polar vortex, followed by a modicum of thaw, the comfort is probably just a tad cold.

Sitting here, in a lull, during a timely and productive update session regarding the progress of our Faith in central Arizona, I think of the other unseen shadows, with which many of us deal, on a daily, or long-term, basis.

I took care of the biggest shadow, that of my nest-egg, sometime back, and the proceeds from the sale of a house, back in 2014, are in trust, for when I need them, beginning a few years hence.

The shadow of aging has its match, in daily use of essential oils, CBD and hemp products and, at least for a month or so, Thrive products- a gift from a grateful friend. Those and regular exercise keep me healthy and moving.

Any potential family shadows are best handled with proactivity: Research, setting time aside and regular, clear communication. This is true for all points along the family continuum.

The shadow of intellectual cramping is best countered by free dialogue. Closing one’s mind to opposing points of view does not make one smarter. I don’t see how not exposing young minds to either liberal or conservative opinions is going to improve their problem-solving ability. As a youth, I read “Mein Kampf” and “The Communist Manifesto”, being captivated by neither, but at least understanding how the authors arrived at such illogic. Closing off college campuses to Ben Shapiro, or Markos Moulitsas, will never save even the most infantilized freshman from following the primrose path of choice.

There are greater shadows-some real and some figments of vivid imaginations: The Social Security/Medicare fizzle, or lack thereof, in the 2030’s; the coinciding “end-of-the-world”, right about that same time; the potential change of our nation’s form of government (some have spoken of this, since Orwell published “1984”); the generations dropping the ball of civilized behaviour ( I seem to remember how “slovenly” and “unkempt” the Depression Parents and the GI Generation regarded us Baby Boomers).

Shadows are dispelled by light. The lights of faith, understanding, clear communication, discourse and above, all, consistent, firm action, will work wonders at clearing the darkness which seems to pervade so many lives, at so many levels.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Dimensions, Part 3

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 1, 2019 in collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

January 31, 2019-

As there are so many languages and ethnic groups, among the entity that is the human race, and as there are so many species of plants and animals, living on Planet Earth, alone, we may reasonably surmise that there is an infinity of living creatures, composed of any of the several elements, found in the Periodic Table, or perhaps a combination thereof. There could be as many, or more, silicon-based living creatures as/than carbon-based beings, across the Universe.

This leads to the fifth through tenth theoretical dimensions of the physical Universe. They each deal with comparisons between this world and at least one other possible world. The Fifth Dimension would be a world slightly different from ours, which we might compare and contrast with this one. The Sixth Dimension would be a plane of all possible worlds which have the same start conditions as one another. The Seventh Dimension would be a plane of all possible worlds with start conditions that are different from one another. This is the basis for the theory that there are several Universes (if “universe” actually means “one song”, that theory simply means there are several cosmic songs, in one Cosmos. The Eighth Dimension would be a plane of all possible worlds, each with different start conditions and each branching out infinitely. If Earth were to branch out, infinitely, then it is reasonable to expect that we humans would interact with those of other worlds, who are branching out infinitely, as well. The Ninth Dimension would be a plane of all possible worlds, with all possible start conditions AND all possible Laws of Physics. Remember, the Laws of Physics are atmosphere-based and gravity-based. What “flies” on Earth, does not “fly” on Saturn, or, necessarily, on the fourth planet from Sirius. The Tenth Dimension would be the plane of infinite possibilities. There, it could be that we could escape from politics, or death and taxes. https://ultraculture.org/blog/2014/12/16/heres-visual-guide-10-dimensions-reality/

That is the view of Bosonic String theorists. Some of them even posit a Cosmos of at least 26 dimensions, far beyond my level of understanding. You are free to examine that matter. https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/292919/why-are-there-specifically-10-11-or-26-dimensions-in-string-theory

However, let me take just a few minutes to ponder what the above means, in terms of the dimensions of human wellness. Man does seem to have an infinite capacity to rationalize. Suppose this ability is actually rooted in a state of alternate realities, each of which could fit the needs of a given world that the Seventh or Eighth Dimensions.

Suppose, also, that the upper dimensions are peopled by those of any number, or combination, of structural elements. How would we communicate with such beings? This may prove a critical issue, perhaps as soon as 200-300 years hence.

It could, finally, be that the Tenth Dimension represents the closest we can imagine to the Reality of God- a State of Being that is far, far beyond it, but which dimension can command the human imagination at its zenith.

I like to think that the fifth-tenth dimensions are the source of all human progress, compelling us to seek, and find, knowledge that our forebears could imagine only dimly, at best. Let us keep trying, and growing.